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By Alan Pearce
COLORADO SPRINGS - Although Rampart was not chosen as the top seed for the Class 5A regional round, it's unlikely any volleyball team could have looked better than the Rams on Saturday. Rampart (25-1) swept all three opponents in two straight games to capture the Region B championship. That's expected for the No. 2 seed playing on its home court, but the Rams didn't allow any of their three quality foes to score as much as 10 points in any game. Northern League champion Rocky Mountain (21-5) also qualified for the state tournament, which begins Friday at the Denver Coliseum. Rams right side hitter Kristen Karlik had a big day in regionals and a great week as well. Four days ago, she verbally committed to play for Colorado State. Then, with outside hitter Heidi Kellermann slowed a bit by a bronchial infection, Karlik got a lot more sets than usual Saturday. Kellermann, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, still led Rampart with 24 kills in the Rams' victories over Fairview, Rocky Mountain and Overland. But Karlik was close behind with 21. She also led the Rams in solo blocks (4) and aces (5). Many of Karlik's kills came from the back row, planned plays by Rampart's All-State setter Christina Van Der Most. Most teams don't bother with back row hits because the attacker must start behind the 10-foot line and the setter must be particularly skilled to put up a hittable ball into an abnormal area. |
"It's fun just because Christina sets me so well from the back row," Karlik said. "I've been hitting it (from the back row) for the whole year, maybe more today because Heidi's been sick. We played really well today. We connected." The Rams got things rolling Saturday by hammering Fairview 15-5, 15-3. The Knights have plenty of tall players but Rampart kept them off the net with excellent serving. Six Rams players registered aces and Karlik spurred the offense with eight kills. "It's no surprise that she got that scholarship to CSU," Rampart coach Rick Kamm said. "She's a trip. She's the show." Rampart then throttled Rocky Mountain, 15-9, 15-8. The Lobos are a team whose defensive ability most closely rivals the Rams. But the entire Rampart lineup was vibrant on the attack, with Kellermann getting nine kills, Karlik eight, Brittney Ray seven, Chelsee Hurlee six and Callie Kiselich five. Kamm credited such balance to his setter, who averaged 28 assists in the three matches. "Christina did such a nice job of spreading it out," Kamm said. "Rocky Mountain, they've got two hitters. We have five go-to's and Christina keeps them all happy. It's wonderful the way she can deliver the ball to all these different hitters and give them their swings." Rocky Mountain also ended up happy, as the Lobos have made it back to the state tournament, which they have won twice before. Lobos middle blocker Amanda Lawler had seven kills against the Rams, plus six kills and five aces in the Fairview match. |
"We knew that Rampart would be our big competition here and we were really excited to play them," Lawler said. "I think we played really well against them and we're going to try and get them again at state, so we're excited about that opportunity we're going to have." The Lobos could absorb the Rampart loss because they came out and demolished Overland 15-2, 15-3 in the first match of the day. "That was a good tone to set for the rest of the day," Lawler said. "It really had us up and feeling good. That was the key moment. We knew we had to get them at the beginning and get them good." Rocky Mountain beat Fairview 15-2, 15-1, assuring itself of the state berth after Rampart's defeat of Overland. Class 5A Region B volleyball tournament Rocky Mountain def. Overland 15-2, 15-3.
State qualifiers -
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